AmeriCorps VISTA/PACC AmeriCorps “The AmeriCorps VISTA mission is to strengthen organizations that alleviate poverty through volunteering and the mobilization of resources.” An AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteer in Service to America) works for a program for a year, and the goal of the VISTA is to make their program sustainable. The projects VISTAs work on are expected to be sustainable after three years of VISTA service. For Learning Campus, the Year 1 VISTA focused on volunteer recruitment and student involvement in the program; therefore, she created a student Learning Campus Club. We currently have our Year 2 VISTA who will be focusing on developing a sustainable curriculum during the 2017-2018 year of service. The future Year 3 VISTA will focus primary on obtaining and maintaining funds for the programs expenses, such as transportation and food cost. Click for more information about AmeriCorps VISTAs. Pennsylvania Campus Compact “Pennsylvania Campus Compact (PACC) is an organization which offers statewide support for member institutions who sustain an environment, culture, and infrastructure for student civic and community engagement and campus/community partnerships.” PACC is the organization that works between AmeriCorps and institutions, such as Wilson College. This organization provides a supportive cohort to VISTAs who are working specifically with colleges in Pennsylvania. Workshops, webinars, and retreats are planned by PACC in order to keep the cohort up-to-date on each other’s projects and progress, and to allow the VISTAs to socialize with other individuals with similar experiences. PACC is also the organization through which VISTAs are paid; however, “home sites,” or the specific college a VISTA is working at, provides compensation to PACC in order to have a VISTA at the institution. Click for more information about PACC. Funding The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC) / Franklin County Foundation (FCF) The Franklin County Foundation (FCF) is a grant that funds Arts & Culture, Community Development, Education, Environment, and Health & Human Services in Franklin County. This grant is available through The Foundation for Enhancing Communities (TFEC). Learning Campus received this grant for 2016-17 to cover the expense of transportation for children to get to Wilson College after school and back home after tutoring. Click for more information about TFEC and FCF. Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) The Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) “provides aid to child and adult care institutions and family or group day care homes for the provision of nutritious foods that contribute to the wellness, healthy growth, and development of young children, and the health and wellness of older adults and chronically impaired disabled persons.” The Lincoln Intermediate Unit #12 (LIU12) was a community partner with Learning Campus in 2016-17; however, Learning Campus is now partnered with IU5. For the 2016-17 program year, LIU12 was supported by the CACFP and used the aid to cover the expenses for the children in the program to have dinner in the Wilson College Dining Hall. This year (2017-18), IU5 will be applying for funding through the CACFP to fund dining services for Learning Campus students. Sponsors The current sponsors for Learning Campus are: Wilson College AmeriCorps VISTA The Northwest Tri-County Intermediate Unit Lady Moon Farms The Franklin County Foundation: a regional foundation of The Foundation of Enhancing Communities If you are interested in helping to fund/sponsor Learning Campus, please contact Lynn Newman, lnewman@wilson.edu
